What’s the most important quality to have as a manuscript editor?
A few obvious traits come to mind, like attention to detail and command of the language and style.
When I was hired a few years ago, I wasn’t worried about developing those skills because I figured they would all get better with time and experience. My biggest worry—and what I thought was the most important quality—was speed.
I had 2 types of speed in mind. I wasn’t as worried about speed of editing for style because I knew I just needed to keep working with the style guide. After enough repetitions, of course I wouldn’t need to refer to the book as frequently, and the recognition of a style point would become recall of the answer.
No, I was most anxious about speed of reading. Obviously, reading comprehension was the key, but I even Googled how to strengthen eye muscles to prevent fatigue. Manuscript editing is sort of professional reading, so I thought the best editors should be the best readers.
I don’t know when exactly my anxiety went away. I don’t think it was just the repeated advice from my manager and coworkers—I heard that for months without it truly sinking in. But eventually, I stopped thinking about it, started focusing on other aspects to improve, and fell into a steady editing pace.
The change in thinking has been good for my sanity, but I’m not convinced my original idea is entirely wrong. Reading speed isn’t as important for me as I once feared, but I still wonder where speed ranks in the list of necessary qualities for an editor.
Freelancers, proofreaders, and managers: how important is reading speed in your job? Leave us a comment!—Kevin Brown
Reading speed depends on so many factors; speed is not so much important as accuracy, in whatever the editing assignment is. But sometimes speed must play a role when a deadline is looming.
Accuracy is the number one top most important critical skill, in my book. I never feel bad when I spend hours making sure a manuscript is clean, but I feel terrible if I miss something I would have caught if I had taken my time.
Reading speed depends on ‘what’ you want to notice – I find that sometimes I am reading for sense, sometimes for punctuation and sometimes for consistency. Speed varies accordingly!